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Truck driver killed when struck by log that rolled off truck during loading operation - Alaska.

A 49-year-old male truck driver (the victim) was preparing to secure a load of logs - approximately 40 feet long and averaging 18 inches in diameter - on his truck with a binder (chain). The last logs to be loaded lay above the top of the 4-foot-high stakes located at each corner of the trailer. As the shovel-loader placed the last log on the trailer, the top log on the right side, measuring 40 feet long by 20 inches in diameter at the base and 14 inches in diameter at the top, shifted and rolled off the trailer. The shovel-loader was unable to see the victim who was at the trailer's right front corner. When the log fell it struck the victim, fatally crushing his head and chest. NIOSH researchers concluded that, to prevent similar occurrences, employers should: 1. ensure that log truck drivers and other workers stay clear of log loading operations until loads are stabilized 2. ensure that all logging employees receive adequate training in safe work procedures 3. conduct periodic inspections to ensure that workers follow company safety procedures. Additionally, manufacturers and employers should: 4. consider manufacturing and/or retrofitting log trucks with retention stakes high enough to adequately secure anticipated log loads.